With the talking done, organisations must act to avoid climate catastrophe.
For years we have been talking about the climate emergency and the ensuing code red for humanity, but as the number of natural disasters due to the climate crisis rises rapidly, what has all this talking achieved? In 2015, world leaders established the Paris agreement. This clearly stated the need to cap global warming at 1.5 degrees Celsius. To do this we have to negate all emissions by 2050 with an interim target of reducing them by 50% by 2030. 7 years on and where are we?
Based on Mckinsey’s article ‘The 1.5-degree challenge’, following our current trend, the world will hit a 3.5-degree global warming increase by 2100. This will have a catastrophic impact on our planet, rendering it unable to sustain life. Big cuts are needed and we are running out of time. Major shifts will have to happen in the way we do business, economically and socially.
It is clear that goals have been defined and targets have been set, but action, clearly, still needs to be taken. The next decade is going to be crucial and how we act will define the quality of life for the next, and subsequent, generations.
Consequences of the continued delay in taking action against climate change have seen record-high temperatures reported in the UK in 2022, severe flooding across Europe, and over a third of Pakistan being submerged due to heavy rains. These crises are all due to a lack of action to reduce carbon emissions.
It’s time to stop making promises and act on making a change and being transparent about it. Doing the right thing for the environment and society is not a competition. If a particular initiative is delivering positive results and is helping to make a change, why not share it with the rest of the world and help others do the same? Too many companies spend time, resources, and money on collecting, interpreting, and analysing data to figure out their carbon status, as opposed to spending that time and money on identifying and taking action.
Our technology is evolving to reduce the complexity of collecting data, analysing data, and presenting sustainability calculations for carbon emissions, water usage, etc. There are many Saas-based platforms that cost less than what it would cost a company to employ a full-time data analyst. These solutions can help organisations with actionable insights so that companies can focus on action. Experienz is one such tool.
Very similar to how organisations manage their financials, ESG (Environmental, Social, and governance) is no different. An ESG management tool will help you define where you are, and where you want to go and the insights can help you derive an action plan that creates a lasting impact.
As the UN Secretary-General, Antonio Guterres stated at the recently concluded COP27, held in Egypt, “ I have warned global leaders at COP27: We are on the highway to climate hell with our foot on the accelerator. Our planet is fast approaching tipping points that will make climate chaos irreversible. We need urgent climate action. It’s time for nations to come together in solidarity, fully respecting all human rights and guaranteeing a safe space for the environmental defenders and all actors in society to contribute to our climate response. We need all hands on deck for faster, bolder climate action.”
The good news is, we are not too late to change the narrative.
